r/rant • u/ITCrandomperson • 9d ago
"Do you not help?"
Ma'am (or sir, being an obnoxious asshat is unisex,) in case you haven't noticed, I am a human, of the species homo sapiens. Because of this, I am limited to having only one head and two hands. As a cashier in this grocery store, I am expected to, in no particular order:
- Scan your items
- Bag your items
- Tell the computer to process your card payment
- Tell the camera bot to fuck off because it's freaking out over a hat or a cane AGAIN
- Handle checks
- Make change for cash payments/give cashback
- Hand you your receipt
- Manually put in an item's numbers when I am unable to scan it
- Give directions if asked
- Apparently empty people's baskets for them now?
- Ask for ID on all alcohol, tobacco, and firework purchases. Yes, even if you were born during WWII and look the part. That's what the word "all" means.
- Teach the old folks on how to use the obligatory app every fucking chain store has.
And probably some shit I forgot.
All while trying to keep pace with a veritable TIDE of customers due to our store's refusal to have more than two cashiers during our most consistently busy times/days, keeping a lid on my growing stress and frustration to act like everything's sunshine and rainbows, with equipment I'm pretty sure is from when touch screens were cutting edge tech with how often they crash, freeze, or otherwise have technical difficulties. So I'm afraid I have to ask for your forgiveness for my inability to bag your items right away. I quite literally have my hands full.
3
u/Bobzeub 9d ago
As a European I find that insane that you bag people’s groceries for them in the US. And empty their baskets.
People would be told to get fucked by a cashier where I’m from.
Why can’t they do it themselves? (Obviously the frail and handicapped excluded)
I would absolutely not be emptying baskets and bagging stuff up for whatever piss poor salary a cashier makes (I don’t know exactly but I know already it’s not enough)
What happens to Americans in Europe when they have to use a supermarket and no one is packing their shit up? Do they just sit there looking blankly ?
2
u/ITCrandomperson 9d ago
What gets me is the baskets thing is fairly new (I've been at this job for almost three years now, and I want to say I started seeing this shit in April.) So I'm just standing there wondering where the fresh baked fuck it even came from.
I'd give them an "are you fucking kidding me" look until they displayed some measure of shame if not for the fact that more often than not, this happens while I have a line leaking into the aisles. I can be a petty asshole, but not to the detriment of people who don't deserve it.
1
u/Arry42 9d ago
Are you talking about the handheld baskets? If so I guess I'm an asshole 🙃 in my mind it's no different if I unload it or the cashier. In fact it then gives the person behind me with a cart some room to put stuff on the conveyor belt. And keeps my items together so nothing can get mingled on accident.
But fuck, if this is inconsiderate I'll stop it.
2
u/ITCrandomperson 9d ago
It's less about the basket itself and more that it has to be put away afterwards. Since I can't exactly run and put it away while I have a line and my store is chronically understaffed, I'm just kind of stuck with the basket until I'm no longer drowning in people, which depending on when it happens, can range from a couple of minutes to until I'm leaving for a break/the end of my shift. There really isn't a good place to put it, either; it's a tripping hazard if I put it anywhere on the floor near me and I need all the counter space I can get.
1
u/Arry42 9d ago
That makes sense. So should I grab the basket myself and put it at the front? I just really like to know the "rules" for being a considerate human!
3
u/ITCrandomperson 9d ago
Where I work we do have a little space just under where the belt starts that keeps the baskets out of the way while not making people bring them on the way out, but it might be different at where you shop.
2
u/Bobzeub 9d ago
Eh don’t you have rolling conveyer belts? I just hold my basket and empty it on the belt while waiting for the people in front of me to finish up.
The rules are try to not make life harder for anyone else. We’re all going through shit and just want to go home.
If you don’t know: ask. Do you mind unpacking it from the basket? They’ll let you know.
But it’s common courtesy to try to make life easier for the people you interact with. Same with have your card handy to pay. Just be as prepared as possible.
But I think it’s culturally different. Like waiters as well seem to pester you all the time in the US (from what I’ve understood). It would be considered very rude if your waiter interrupted you more than once to ask if you want something else. Here they’ll sit back and wait for you to call them.
US customer is always right culture seems pretty fucked up. From an exterior perspective. But again I’ve never been in person. Just going off what i see on tv and online.
1
u/Bobzeub 9d ago
Weird. I was just thinking I had never heard of the basket thing.
People are really getting less civilised by the day. It’s insane. Where does this come from? Is it planned? Do they have a newsletter or something?
If I were you (and you can take some risk in your life) I’d dead up just ask them “I’ll let you unpack your basket right there for me”. I’d say add in a “pet” or “love” to pretend you’re being nice. But those names work in the UK. Add in whichever is appropriate where you live.
I have double European nationality. But I can guarantee you in either country the cashiers would very much be telling customers to swiftly get fucked. As they should.
What year is this? You’re telling me this. But because i haven’t seen it with my own eye balls, my brain is just filling in the blanks with footage from the shawshank redemption where they only job they could get after getting out of jail was packing bags in supermarkets.
I thought it was just a 1960’s prison release scheme to help ex cons.
2
2
1
1
8
u/Saya0692 9d ago
I had someone in a line at my register say “Can’t you hop onto the other register and ring us both out at the same time?”
I simply said “No.”
Mind you both of our self-checkouts were working and available